Investing in public transportation simply makes sense, because investing in public transportation means investing in people. It allows people, who have no other means of transportation, to attend school, to make medical appointments, to go shopping and to seek and maintain employment — in fact, almost 60 percent of people who ride public transit are commuting to and from work, according to the American Transportation Association.

For those concerned with creating a self-sufficient citizenry, then creating a strong public transportation system is essential to ensuring people can manage the tasks in their lives and remain independent.

Supporting public transportation also makes sense as we all face rising fuel costs. Now is not the time to pull back from supporting mass transit. It is the time to commit to supporting public transportation. At the most basic level, supporting the levy means acknowledging the need to rethink our reliance on cars and gas consumption and to seek alternatives.

The 0.6-mill request will generate about $1,024,425 annually. The property tax renewal would cost the owner of a home with an assessed value of $150,000 about $45 a year.

Metro Transit provides about 10,000 passenger trips each day. Metro Transit Executive Director Bill Schomisch says that ridership has seen significant ridership increases in July and August. And, the transit service is on track to once again provide about 3 million trips this year.

We believe investing in Metro Transit is a solid investment for the community.